The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-11-09
TranspIanting Human Teeth

Transplanting Human Teeth.
The other evening | was asked by DIR.
j. H. Baxter. chief medical purveyor OF
the United States army, TO dine at his
house to meet Dr. Younger, the eelebra-
ted dentist of San Francisco, who was the
sensation of the dental section of the con-
gress. A dozen or more eminent dentists
were at the dinner, including Dr. Scott,
the surgeon at West Point, v Y, and
doctors from Detroit, 1Albany, Montreal,
etc. Briefly, Dr. Younger is able to take
tooth, which may have been extracted
months ago and plant it, 20 10 speak, in
the mouth of another person where, in
the course of few months, it becomes
firm, and looks like and serves the pur-
pose of a new tooth. He has performed
this operation two hundred times with
but twenty failures. He had a trans.
planted tooth in the upper jaw, right
hand side of.his own mouth. He offered
TO allow the doctors of the congress 10
extract this tooth in public and examine
its condition if they wished to do so. He
had one OF two patients with him, nota-
bly, negro man, who had had the oper-
alton performed successfully
Five is the largest number of new teeth
Dr. Younger had ever put into one
mouth. 1t Is necessary to the success Of
the operation that there shall be enough
of the bony process in which the teeth
grow naturally, called the alveolar, still
existing as part Of the jaw bone, into
which new socket for the tooth can be
drilled. The tooth must also be heal
thy one, with at least half of its proper
covering, called the perisementum, exist
ing. 1t is thought that life remains in
healthy tooth for many months after it
has been taken out of the mouth. Dr.
Younger fills the nerve channel of the
tooth with gutta percha, which has the
merit of not aching. He then drills the
new socket, pnts the tooth in, and fastens
down the gum. The tooth is tied in for
a few weeks, when 10, it is part Of the
apparatus OF the mouth. as much as if it
had been there originally. This natural
ly seems astounding, and the facts caus-
of the congress. DR. Younger transplant
ed number of teeth in public while in
Washington, English and other dentists
volunteering to permit him To do so. The
operation is not very painful, and can be
done in less than five minutes. There is
nothing now to hinder lovers from ex-
changing teeth Charlie can give up one
Of his molars, and Mary can sway an eye
tooth.
a German, and the infection of his speech
is very like Germans But he tells me
he is native Of Chill, South America.
He accidentally discovered the fact that
teeth can be successfully transplanted. A
year or two ago woman came into his
office in San Francisco who had had
tooth knocked out of her mouth.
Doctor" she said,' ! want you
to put this tooth back where it be-
longs"
Nonsense, 1t cannot be done Ii would
do no good"
" But | insist that you do IT,
" II would fall out The mouth would
reject it. 1t Is now the same as a foreign
substance"
No matter, doctor l wish to have
the tooth put back
= / am too busy to-day" said Doctor
Younger. thinking to dissuade her. The
woman went away.
" | got To thinking the matter over
said Dr. Younger to me, and at last |
determined to try the experiment. 1t
could do no harm. sent for the woman
next day, and said
If You still want me to put that tooth
in, Il will do 50 to please you
| cleaned it. cleaned out the socket, and
put it back. fastening down the gum. BY
George, In a month the tooth was as
sound and solid in her mouth as the rest
and has remained 50 to this day. She
eats with il the same as with her other
teeth and knows no difference That
was the beginning of my teeth transplant.
ing. The fact is now as well established
a. any in medical or dental science"
After dinner at Dr. Baxter's the den
fists met in the parlor and discussed the
matter further. All went away convinc-
ed, and resolved to try the new process.
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